Night Music
by jessica-bones-winchester
Summary: While taking a walk during the months following Eve's death, Adam hears a voice that just might pull him out of his depression.
1. Chapter 1

Eve was dead. After centuries together, she fell victim to tainted blood in Tangier. Adam sat by her side for days before it finally overtook her.

"Go back to Detroit, my love," she told him. "Take your music and instruments, and find a new home."

"No place is home without you."

"But it must be. You can't wander around lost the rest of your years. Promise me," she said. "Promise me you'll keep going."

Adam squeezed her hand and nodded, and Eve was gone.

He didn't go back to Detroit right away. He stayed amongst Eve's books and things, remembering their long lives together. It wasn't until he nearly starved for the second time before finding untainted blood that he went back to Detroit. He had a supplier there. He would start up that relationship again.

He found an abandoned house on the other side of town before he went home. Memories of Eve's last visit were all around him as he packed up his instruments and music recordings. It would take several trips to move all of his equipment. He worked each night over the next few days until everything he wanted was moved.

Of course, moving wouldn't be necessary if Ava hadn't fucked up and killed Ian. They wouldn't have gone back to Tangier, and Eve would still be alive.

He cautiously picked up the broken records on the floor. Remnants of Ian's last night on earth. Under one of the broken discs was his .38 revolver. He opened the cylinder and found his wooden bullet inside. After spinning it closed, he held the barrel up to his chest with his finger on the trigger. His finger squeezed a little before it relaxed.

"We've been here before, haven't we, Eve?" Adam muttered into the silence.

And he was there again. His new house offered no escape from the memories, and each night found the barrel of the gun against his chest. Each night, he remembered his promise to keep going.

For ten years, Adam struggled to remember that promise. Eventually, the gun made an appearance only every other night. Then once a week. Although, that didn't mean he wasn't thinking about it.

Ten years, two months, three weeks, and six days. Adam counted. He ticked off each day in his mind. He decided to get some air that night. It would be his first outing, other than his supply runs, in ten years. In the early morning hours, before the sunrise, he walked the back streets of the city, weaving his way between abandoned houses and factories. The sky drew his attention. He imagined the star that Eve told him about - a diamond that emits the music of a gigantic gong.

It was another sound that drew his gaze back to the street. A woman's voice, singing. He thought for a moment that she was foolish. Walking through the streets of Detroit at night, singing, could draw unwanted attention. But those thoughts shifted to the sound of her voice. The pure, resonating tone of it. It was beautiful.

She was several yards ahead of him, walking in the same direction. From the back, she had a confident walk, shoulder-length brown hair, and a slender frame. But it was her voice. For the first time in years he was inspired to compose something, for that voice.

A broken twig crunched beneath his foot, and she turned. Adam quickly ducked into the shadows of an alley. He waited several minutes before following her again, but she was no longer singing. Maybe she wasn't as foolish as he thought. He was careful to be quiet as he followed her to her apartment building. He watched her go inside and saw a light come on a few minutes later in a second story window. He stared for a while at the light shining through the curtains, then walked home. He didn't even glance at his revolver that night.

That next night he picked up a guitar for the first time in months. He strummed a few chords of a familiar song, then stopped. Another song, another few chords. No, that wasn't it. Once more, another song, a few more chords than before. This was it. The song that she was singing. He found the key she had been singing in, and played the entire song. Then he changed it up. A minor key, just below hers. Slower, but not drawn out. He pictured her voice singing to the new melody.

At two o'clock he decided to go for another walk. He took the same path, and waited behind a small, bare tree in the same spot where he'd noticed her the night before. He leaned against the tree, one leg bent with his foot on the trunk behind him, facing the direction she would be walking if she were going the same way. He would be behind her when she passed. Dressed in black pants, a jacket, and gloves, along with his sunglasses, she wouldn't notice him in the dark.

He waited for several more minutes before she passed. He heard her half-mumbling out a song as she walked. Once she was a few yards ahead, he followed her until he was once again staring up at her window. He leaned against a light post across the street with his hands in his pockets. When her light went off, Adam walked home.

The guitar was in his hand as soon as he was through the door. He sat on the sofa and casually strummed his altered version of the song from the night before. When he was done he searched through drawer after drawer until he found blank sheet music. He sat down with a pencil and a guitar, and got to work.

Guitar, drums, a little violin. He worked on the song each waking minute for the next few days. When it was all recorded, he sat slouched on the sofa and listened to it.

"Not bad," he mumbled to himself.

He decided to see her again that night. So, he followed her home. After a few more nights of watching her from a distance, he decided it wasn't enough. He left his house as early as he could after sunset and walked to the spot where he usually waited for her. He wasn't there long before she was heading his way, in the opposite direction. He followed her to a bar just a few streets over.

A thought in his mind kept telling him to go inside, but he went home. It would be too crowded that early. He needed the place to be almost empty so he could have as much of her attention as possible.

Laura was wiping down the counter when a tall man all in black and sunglasses walked in. He sat in a nearby booth, but he pulled out some papers, looking like he didn't want to be disturbed. She watched him for a while to see if he would ever wave her over to order a drink, but he didn't. After an hour, she focused more on the few other customers in the bar.

When she announced the last call, she watched the man gather his things. He quietly walked to the bar and put a bill in the tip jar.

"Thank you, sir. Come again," she said.

He nodded as he turned and left. Laura thought his tip was considerate since he had used a table, even though he hadn't ordered anything while he was there.

After everyone was gone, she grabbed the tip jar. She noticed that the man's money was still on top, folded very neatly. She pulled it out, a little curious how much it might be.

"Probably a dollar," she thought.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when she unfolded the twenty dollar bill.

"Woah."

She finished closing and headed home. The tall man stayed on her mind.

He came in again the next night, around midnight. She smiled at him, but didn't approach as he sat at the same table and pulled out his papers. She was pretty busy that night. She hummed as she worked, lost in what she was doing. The crowd died down a little after one o'clock. She was putting a few bottles back on the shelf. When she turned around, the tall man in black was sitting at the bar. She jumped and put a hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Did I startle you?"

English accent. Nice.

"A little," she said, "but it's okay."

He was still wearing sunglasses. She tried to see past them without staring, but the bar lighting was dim. That fact just made it more odd that he was wearing sunglasses at all.

"Can I get you something," she asked.

"No, thank you. I actually came up to talk to you."

"To me?"

"Yes. I heard you singing while you were walking around. You have a lovely voice."

Laura blushed and lowered her eyes. She began wiping the counter with the rag in her hand.

"I mean it," the man said. "It's quite beautiful."

"Thank you," she said. "I wish record execs had your ears."

"What do you mean?"

"I spent a few years in L.A., and a few in Nashville. Knocked on every door there was, but I was always told I wasn't good enough. I don't have the right sound."

"Zombies... What do they know?"

Laura smiled. "Zombies. I like that."

"They're all the same. They don't care about real talent."

"You sound like you know the business."

"I'm a musician," he said. "Have you ever recorded anything? I could help you with that."

Laura's smile faded. "You can help me? As in, you get my music out there and I have to do something for you in return?"

"I want nothing in return." The man's shoulders drooped. "Oh, I think I see the problem."

He pulled off his sunglasses and Laura stared into the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

"Let's try this again," he said. He reached his hand out for her to take. "I'm Adam," he said.

She hesitated, but took his hand in a firm shake. "Laura."

"Laura," he whispered and leaned forward on the bar. "I honestly have no hidden agenda. I love your voice. I write and record music, and I would love to record your singing. You are under no obligation to do anything else."

"Do you know anyone in the business to pass my work along to?"

"No, actually. I really don't have those connections. Music, for me, is sort of a hobby. An intense hobby."

She laughed. "An intense hobby. I'll have to remember that one."

Adam smiled. "Even your laugh is like music."

She blushed again. "I think I'll have to pass."

He sat up straight, and actually seemed disappointed.

"I'm sorry," Laura said. "I'm very flattered, but I don't know you. You come in here all dressed in black, wearing shades at night, and tell me you want to record my voice-"

"I promise I have the most noble intentions... but I can see where you would be cautious. Can't blame you for that."

"Thank you."

"So, we'll just have to get to know each other."

Laura smiled. "We'll be closing soon."

Adam sighed and stood, and Laura realized just how tall he was. He looked to be about six feet, but his slender build made him appear even taller, and he practically unfolded himself as he got to his feet. He fished a bill out of his pocket and put it in the tip jar.

"I'll be back tomorrow," he said.

When Laura emptied the tip jar that night, she found another neatly folded twenty.

Adam thought about Laura as he started to walk home. He imagined her voice singing along with his new music, and he stopped walking. His eyes went to the stars.

"I should follow her home," he thought.

He turned back and waited in the shadows for her to pass. He had to be extra careful now that she knew what he looked like. She couldn't think he was stalking her. He just wanted to make sure she got home okay.

He waited for the light in her window, then he walked home.


	2. Chapter 2

Laura kept one eye on the door all night. Part of her wanted this mysterious Adam to show up. The other part was scared that he would. She found him extremely attractive. So much so that his blue eyes haunted her dreams when she slept after talking to him. But there was also something off-putting about him. Something about the way he appeared at the bar almost out of nowhere as she turned around. Something about the way she felt drawn to him, even though she knew nothing about him. It was sheer will power to tell him she wasn't interested in his offer. She was interested. Very interested.

Adam arrived just after midnight. There were just two other people in the bar, so Laura saw him come in. She smiled, despite her best efforts to remain indifferent toward him. Adam took a seat on one of the stools at the counter and folded his hands on top as he leaned forward a little.

"No booth tonight," Laura asked.

"I came to talk to you. Why would I sit anywhere but here?"

"Tell me something," Laura said as she leaned forward on the counter, mimicking Adam's posture, "what's with the sunglasses? It's the middle of the night, and you're inside a dimly lit bar."

A small smile tugged at Adam's lips. He took the glasses off and laid them on the bar. "I like to be left alone. People usually take the hint with the sunglasses."

Laura found herself staring into his eyes, but she couldn't look away.

"You have the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen," she said.

"They pale in comparison to your voice."

Laura stood straight. A blush colored her cheeks. "Are we back on that?"

"We never left it. I'm here so we can get to know each other, so that you will record one of my songs for me." He pulled a roll of papers from inside his jacket. "I started composing that last night when I got home. You've inspired me, for the first time in years."

Laura took the papers and unrolled them. "I don't know what to say."

She stared at the hand-drawn notes on the page and started to hum the tune. When she looked up, Adam had his eyes closed. They opened when she stopped humming.

"Beautiful," he said.

He was staring straight into her eyes, and her breath caught for a moment. She rolled the papers and handed them back to him.

"Yes, it is," she said.

"I meant your voice."

"Thank you. You... Did you really write that for me?"

"I did. I haven't written any music in years. You've inspired me."

She shook her head. "I really don't know what to say... Thank you. It's very flattering."

One of the other patrons came up for another drink. Laura excused herself and helped the customer, then returned to her place across from Adam.

"Okay," she said. "By your own admission, you like to be left alone. Why, then, are you so willing for me to know you just so you can record my voice?"

"Yours is the purest voice I've heard in centuries."

Laura smiled. "Exaggerate much?"

"It is a useful device."

She saw no trace of a smile. He somehow took those words seriously.

"Okay," Laura said. "Why haven't you been inspired to write music?"

The change in his expression was sudden, but undeniable. A sadness fell over him as he looked away, and Laura regretted asking the question.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You don't have to answer that."

"My wife died," he said softly.

"I'm so sorry. When?"

"A few years ago."

"How long were you together?"

"Forever."

Laura reached over and placed her hand on top of his gloved ones, clasped together on top of the bar. He looked up and stared into her eyes for a moment, then stood.

"I have to go."

"Adam, wait..."

He slid his sunglasses on. "I never meant to tell you about her. Not tonight. Not so soon. I just... I have to go."

When Adam got home he climbed the stairs to his bedroom and crawled onto the bed. He pulled the extra pillow into his arms and curled himself around it. From where he was he could see the drawer of his nightstand. The one that held his revolver. It wasn't the thought of Eve that stopped him this time. It was Laura. Guilt ripped through Adam as he thought of Eve again.

"I'm so lonely, Eve," he whispered into the dark.

Laura waited for Adam to come in the next night, but he never showed up. Three nights. No sign of Adam. She had no idea that he had followed her home from work every night.

Now he stood outside of the bar, just a half hour before closing time. He stared at the door from across the street for several minutes before going in.

His eyes immediately went to the counter, but Laura wasn't there. He scanned the room and saw her talking to a customer at a table. He didn't want to stay, so this was good. He approached her from behind and gently wrapped gloved his fingers around her forearm.

Laura turned around quickly, the surprise of seeing him evident in her face.

"Adam..."

"I'm not staying," he said. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a roll of papers. "I finished it, and I want you to have it. Even if you don't record it for me."

"This is the music you were writing?"

Adam nodded. Laura wished she could see his eyes, but the shades covered them in blackness.

"Please stay," she said.

"I can't."

"Will you come back?"

He hesitated. "I don't know."

"Excuse me, Miss," someone called out.

Laura turned her head in the direction of the voice. "I'll be right there."

She felt Adam's hand slip from her arm. When she turned back around, he was already halfway out the door. She sighed and walked back behind the bar to put the music with her things.

Adam followed her home that night. And every night after that for the next three weeks. After a few days, he could hear her singing his song. By the second week, she had it perfect. It was more beautiful than he imagined it would be, and it made him happy just to hear her as he followed her home.

Laura fell in love with the song. Adam had written about great loss, but also a rediscovery. It spoke of deep depression, but a finding of hope. The first couple of days she focused on the melody. She hummed it while she worked, and to and from her apartment. After she had that down, she set out to learn the lyrics. It was then that she realized the song was about his dead wife... and also about her. She was his reawakening, as the song said. The light that pulled him from the dark.

Laura wanted to see him again, but it didn't look like he would be going back to the bar. She dreamed about his piercing blue eyes, and his hand on her arm. She had to learn more about this man who she, if she was interpreting the song correctly, distracted from thoughts of suicide.

The night Adam walked back into the bar, Laura didn't try to hide her excitement. He was barely trough the door when she ran around the counter and threw her arms around his shoulders. One of his hands hesitantly rested on the small of her back until she pulled away.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she said. "The song is... beautiful doesn't do it justice, it's... I don't even know. I can't think right now."

"I'm so glad you like it."

"I love it!"

She took his gloved hand and pulled him toward the bar. He sat on a stool and she walked behind it. She reached over and pulled his sunglasses off, waiting for him to protest or try to stop her, but he didn't. He just sat there, and as the glasses came away she saw that his eyes were locked on hers.

"I recorded myself singing it," Laura said.

"You did?"

"There's no music, of course. I don't play any instruments. And it's just an old karaoke machine I had lying around, but... Yeah. I recorded it. I want you to have it. Will you... walk me home tonight? I'll let you hear it and you can tell me if you still think I have the purest voice you've heard in centuries."

Laura laughed, and Adam smiled.

"I'd be delighted to walk you home."

Adam hung around as Laura closed up. He never moved from the stool, and he never ordered a drink. He watched her as she moved about the room.

When Laura was done, she grabbed her purse then stood in front of Adam.

"Ready?"

Adam stood and Laura motioned for him to exit. "I have to set the alarm."

Laura was out a moment later. She locked the door and Adam held out his arm. She blushed at the gesture, but put her hand in the crook of his elbow, but that wasn't enough for Adam. He pulled her closer and linked their arms together. As they walked, he worked his hand into hers, and didn't let go until they reached her apartment.

Her place was much smaller than his, but much tidier.

"Have a seat," she said, motioning to a small seating area with a chair and a loveseat.

Adam sat, hoping that Laura would sit next to him. He watched as she put a cassette tape into her karaoke machine.

"I told you it was old, right?"

"You did," Adam said. "That's okay. I like old things."

Laura pressed play and her voice filled the room. She glanced over at Adam just as his eyes fluttered shut, and she joined him on the loveseat without a word, sideways with one foot on the floor. She just watched him, trying to gauge his reaction. His eyes found hers when they opened, and there was moisture building in them.

Adam debated himself in his head while he stared into Laura's eyes. For all his logic and reasoning, his heart won out. He pulled his gloves from his hands and tossed them onto her small coffee table. Laura pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as Adam moved closer to her. He reached out with a hesitant hand and his fingertips brushed over her cheek. Laura's eyes closed, and her mouth fell open just enough for a breath to escape. Adam slowly leaned in. He let out a ragged breath as his lips brushed over hers. Laura wrapped her arms around him and he covered her mouth with his. His hands caressed the column of her neck as he pulled her lips between his own.

Laura whimpered and pressed herself closer to Adam. The passion and longing in his kiss was unlike anything she had ever experienced. He pulled away with a sharp exhale, only to capture her lips again, over and over until Laura found it hard to breathe. She turned her head and Adam's mouth fell to her neck. She felt his lips and tongue move over her for a moment before he stopped. His teeth gently grazed her skin, then he suddenly pulled away.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"No, please, don't be. That was amazing."

"I have to go," he said as he stood.

"Wait, Adam-"

"I'm sorry."

He slipped on his sunglasses, grabbed his gloves, and had his hand on the door when Laura called out.

"Your tape. I want you to have it."

He stopped while Laura removed the tape and she placed it in his hand, but her hand lingered.

"I don't know why you think you have to go," she said, "but I want you to stay."

"I can't."

"Please..."

Laura stared at his sunglasses, trying to see past them as she stepped closer. Adam leaned toward her. His lips brushed her cheek, but he pulled away and opened the door.

"I'm sorry."

He shoved the tape in his jacket and quickly walked away, leaving her door open behind him.

Once he was on the street Adam put his gloves back on. He needed blood before he did something he regretted. When he felt Laura's pulse point under his lips, it took every ounce of self control that he had not to drink. He knew then that he couldn't get that close to her again, no matter how much he desired her, but the thought of not seeing her again made him think of Eve and the wooden bullet waiting for him in his revolver.

The next night, he waited for her in the shadows outside of the bar. He followed her home.


	3. Chapter 3

Laura didn't know it, but Adam made it part of his routine to make sure she got home safely every night. It almost killed him to be so close to her and not touch her, but the alternative was him losing control and hurting her. He wasn't willing to risk it.

One night as he followed her home he heard a noise down a dark alley. He stopped and stared until he saw a stray dog jump from a trash bin. When he turned back to Laura, he saw why he had tried to prevent every night. She was fighting off a man with a knife. She tried to take her purse off and run, but the man grabbed her. Adam, with all his speed, made it by her side in time to see the knife slice through the side of her throat. She slumped to the ground and the man took off with her purse.

Adam dropped to his knees and looked into her terrified eyes. She gasped for breath. Blood gushed through her fingers as she tried to cover her wound.

"Laura," Adam said, "you'll never make it to the hospital in time." He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. "I can't lose you."

When he sat up, Adam bared his fangs and bit into his wrist. He held his wound to her lips.

"Drink, Laura."

She hesitated, but began to drink.

Adam leaned next to her ear and whispered, "I'm sorry," then he covered the wound on her neck with his mouth. It had been years since he had fresh blood. It was a last resort to kill or even turn a human.

He tried to be gentle as the urge grew to sink his fangs in. There was no need. Laura's blood was flowing freely, and would soon stop. He stroked her hair as they drank from each other, until he felt himself getting weak and he had to take his arm away from her.

Laura gasped for air and gripped Adam's jacket. He drank until he felt the blood stop flowing, then he sat back on his heels. The wound on Laura's neck healed over before Adam's eyes and he helped her sit up.

"What just happened," she asked.

"I was selfish. That's what happened."

"You... You're..."

"A vampire."

"Did you turn me?"

"I couldn't bear to lose you, Laura. I'm sorry."

She stared at his mouth where her blood still lingered. "I want more."

"It will pass. We have to get out of here." He stood and pulled her to her feet. "We'll go to my place."

When they got to Adam's house, he found a pair of scrubs for Laura to change into, then took her into the bathroom. He washed the blood from around his mouth and from Laura' hands.

Laura sat on the sofa and stared off into the distance. Adam sat next to her.

"You're under no obligation, of course, but you are very welcome to stay here," he said.

"It doesn't feel real."

"I know. It will with time."

Laura grabbed her stomach. "I'm so hungry."

He rubbed a hand over the back of her head. "I'll get you something. Wait here."

He returned with a very small glass. Laura could smell it as he came into the room.

"Drink it slowly," he said. "You'll learn to control your hunger."

Laura sipped at the red liquid before guzzling it and laying her head back.

"So much for slow," Adam said.

"I couldn't help myself."

"It will get better. I'll help you."

Laura sat up with a sigh. For the first time since the attack, she took Adam in. No sunglasses. No gloves. His jacket was off, leaving him in a thin black v-neck t-shirt that showed a small patch of chest hair. She looked into his eyes to find him staring into hers.

"Why did you turn me?"

"You were dying," he said.

"Why didn't you just let me die, then?"

"Are you angry?"

"I just want to know why."

Adam sighed. "I've spent the last decade mourning my wife. Every night, I had to convince myself not to put a wooden bullet through my heart and end it all... until I heard your voice."

Laura took Adam's hand in hers and lifted it to her face. She pressed her cheek into his palm. Adam tilted his head to mirror hers, and brushed his thumb over her skin.

"That night at my apartment," she said, "why did you leave that way?"

"When I kissed your neck I felt your pulse. I felt your blood pumping though your veins, and I was afraid I would hurt you."

"You didn't turn me."

"You weren't dying then. I don't turn people just for kicks. You had a life. I wasn't going to fuck that up." He slid his hand down her neck to where her wound had been. "But when you were lying there, bleeding to death... That was different. And I was selfish. I didn't want to let you go."

"But you had already let me go. You left. I never saw you again."

Adam took a deep breath. "But I saw you."

"You were following me," she said. "That's why you were there tonight."

"I was. If I hadn't been distracted by a noise in the alley, I might have made it to you in time to stop him."

"Would we be sitting here together right now if I had lived?"

"Probably not," he said. "It still wouldn't have been safe for me to be close to you."

Laura moved closer to him so that their bodies were touching. "Why wouldn't it have been safe?"

Adam leaned down a little. His lips ghosted over her face. "I wasn't sure if I could control the urges I was having."

"What urges?" Laura ran a hand up Adam's thigh.

"The urge to sink my teeth into your neck, for one."

"We don't have to worry about that one now. What other urges?"

Adam grabbed her hand from his thigh and brought her palm to his mouth. He kissed her wrist then placed her palm against his chest.

"The urge to claim you as mine," he said. "Completely."

"Would that really have been so bad?"

"It would have."

"And now?"

Adam kissed her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap so that she was straddling him. His hands roamed over her back as his tongue slipped past her lips, and he moaned. Laura met his tongue with hers, and their kiss seemed to freeze. Adam moved a hand to her hair as he pulled away. He looked into her eyes with a longing that Laura had never seen before.

"Will you stay with me," he asked.

"I will gladly spend eternity with you."

Adam laced their fingers together, and Laura kissed his neck, making him moan. She kissed back to his mouth.

"I want to know everything about you," she said.

"We have a hundred lifetimes for that."

"And how many have you already lived?"

"Too many."

"Then you have so much to tell me. So many stories. All the history..."

Adam smiled. "You actually seem eager to hear."

"Wouldn't you be? The things you've seen." She kissed him. "The things you've done." Another kiss. "The places you've been."

Adam kissed her. Hard. So hard that she had to lean back in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed deeply through the kiss.

"Make love to me, Adam."

Adam stood and put her on her feet. He held her face as he kissed her, soft and slow. Then he took her hand and led her to the bedroom. He undressed them both before they lay on the bed.

There was no rush. Even with all the anticipation and want that Laura felt, she let Adam take his time, and followed his lead. She adored the sounds that he made while they kissed. The way his breath stuttered, and the deep sighs. She gasped when their bodies joined and Adam let out a long moan.

She lay in his arms, tired and content as the sun came up. He was behind her, his legs pulled snug behind hers, his arm over her, holding her hand, fingers entwined.

"Adam," she said, "thank you for saving me."

"You saved me first."


End file.
